The word ‘stress’ is borrowed from the area of technology which considers stress as a pressure or strain. For example, some plane crashes have been known to be due to metal fatigue; too much strain and pressure on metal over too long a period of time. The latter has echoes of the Irish and other European banks undergoing ‘stress tests’ to determine their viability. Human stress also became defined as a pressure or strain and it can be physical or social or psychological or some combination of these. Physical stress can arise from cold, long-standing, lifting heavy objects, breathing in toxic fumes, loud noises and so on. Examples of social stress are living next door to the ‘neighbour from hell’, violent and verbally aggressive partner, work-place bullying, excessive demands from others and co-dependence. Psychological strain arises from such factors as hating oneself, comparing oneself with others, addiction to what others think, lack of confidence, shyness, passivity – to mention just a few.
Read moreA Breakthrough in Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Research in University College, Cork has provided evidence that links the extremely distressing and embarrassing irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) to extreme stress in childhood. Up to now, medical doctors had found no obvious organic cause for this painful and debilitating condition. The researchers, Dr. John Cryan and Professor Ted Dinan found that individuals with the condition reported having a lot of stress in their lives and had experienced highly stressful events during childhood. Without going into the biochemical complexities of their research, it was found that higher glutamate (an essential protein) in the spinal cord may be contributing to the emergence of severe abdominal pain as reported by persons with IBS. The researchers believe that the current expensive medication is not very effective due to the fact that it does not target the glutamate transporter specifically. They are determined to develop a new drug that will be specific to the physical pain symptoms of the condition.
Read moreStressing the Not So Obvious
The word stress is typically described as pressure and the idea is that you look at the external or internal (or both) circumstances of your life and detect what aspects are leading to your being all stressed out. Frequently individuals may point the finger at work, financial pressures, marriage, children, family of origin or living next door to the neighbour from hell. There are some people who don’t even look that far and what they attempt to do is find orthodox medical or alternative means of reducing the stress symptoms. The more common symptoms people focus on are tension headaches, migraine, back pain, chest pain, increased heart rate, high blood pressure, dizziness, excessive perspiration, dryness of the mouth, insomnia, trembling, depression, fatigue and nervousness. Possible remedies pursued are drug taking, meditation, relaxation exercises, time-management.
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